


Death + Rebirth

by Spadesinspades



Series: Mixy Ficlets [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2014-06-20
Packaged: 2018-02-05 12:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1817770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spadesinspades/pseuds/Spadesinspades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fic Request:  Do you still occasionally take requests? Can I get a Stucky with a side of memories coming back or maybe one of them dying? Or some hurt/comfort?? I'm looking for the feels dude. Tell me I came to the right place.  [anon]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Death + Rebirth

**_Death_ **

When it finally happened, it was like a tidal wave crashing into the shore, violent and raw.  The Winter Soldier collapsed to the floor in the middle of a hallway in Stark Tower and howled in agony.  He clawed at his chest with both metal and flesh fingers, gasping for air, feeling like he was being tossed violently against the rocks, drowning.  His head pounded, each beat sending searing pain through his entire body.  JARVIS immediately sounded an alarm, calling anyone in the vicinity for help.  Red lights flashed along the walls and the emergency system blared at full volume.  Yet somehow, over all the ruckus, a voice called out for his friend.

_"BUCKY!!"_

Steve was the first to arrive, careening around the corner from down the hall, falling to his knees and sliding across the floor to pull Bucky into his lap.  But the riptide had hold of his old friend now, and it was dragging him out into an ocean of oblivion.  Steve took Bucky’s face in his hands and searched his eyes desperately.  They were wide and wild, scared and hurt.  Bucky finally tore his hands away from his own chest and took fistfuls of Steve’s shirt, clenching the fabric in a vice grip.

"This is it, Cap," he choked out, "I’m sorry I let you down.  I’m sorry I never found him in here…"  He let go with his right hand and tapped his forehead.  

"No, no," Steve said, shaking his head, "It doesn’t matter, it’s always been you.  You’ll always be my best friend, Buck, no matter what you remem-"

The last of Steve’s words evaporated on his lips because in the next moment, the dam burst and Bucky fell limp in Steve’s arms.  Lifeless.

When Bruce finally made it to their floor, mere moments after the initial alarm, he found Steve hunched over the Winter Soldier’s body, sobbing silently for his lost friend.

 

###

 

**_Rebirth_ **

beep.  beep.  beep.   _whoosh._   beep.  beep.  beep.   _whoosh._

Bucky reaches up and pulls the oxygen mask away from his face, weakly.  His arm feels like it’s made of lead, far heavier than he remembers.  And not the metal one, surprisingly.   _Atrophy_ , he thinks.   _What happened?  How long have I been out?_   The last thing he remembers is…  is…?  He can’t recall.  His memories feel too slippery to grasp.

He tries to lift his head, and fails.  Turns it instead.  A pile of messy red hair is pooled on the bed next to his shoulder.  He shrugs slightly, trying to nudge it.  Fails.  Narrows his eyes and breathes deeply, working to quell the frustration that is already bubbling up inside him.

He tries another approach.

"He- hey…" he says.  His voice is raspy and quiet.  Unused.  He makes a pathetic attempt to clear his throat and tries again.

"Hey," he manages to croak.

Success.  The woman next to him bolts upright in her chair and meets his eyes almost immediately.

"Holy shit," she says.

Bucky concentrates on her face, the feeling of recognition just slightly out of reach.   _Nora?  Nancy?  Natalie?_

"Natasha," he says at last, feeling triumphant.  He grins at her, his cheeks feeling stiff as the smile spreads across his face.

“ _Holy.  Shit._ "  She’s staring at him in disbelief.  A long moment passes where they both just look at each other.  Finally, Natasha reaches out to the wall behind the bed and keys into what Bucky imagines is an intercom.  "Someone get Banner, NOW.  And wake Steve, like fucking yesterday."

The next few moments are so full of action and frenzy that Bucky can barely keep up.  A man in a lab coat ( _Brian?  No, Bruce, that’s right)_  bursts into the room and starts babbling about brain trauma and super soldiers and how people should learn to listen to someone who’s inevitably always right.  Nurses, security personnel, and a few more familiar faces all crowd around his bed, marvelling at him and asking him too many questions all at once.  This goes on for several long minutes and Bucky does his best to reacquaint himself with his surroundings as much as possible.  But as much as he looks from face to face, there’s one he can’t seem to find.

"B- Bucky?"

A voice cuts through the commotion and the onlookers peel back to make room for a sturdy looking man with blond hair.  A warm, calm feeling washes over Bucky and he beams up at the one man he recognizes instantly.

"Steve," he says, quietly.  "Took you long enough."  Bucky coughs from the dryness in his throat and suddenly Steve is on his knees by the bedside, hands on either side of Bucky’s face.

"You remember me?" Steve asks, eyes wet and pleading.

Bucky nods.  ”Of course.”

Steve lurches forward and presses his lips to Bucky’s, kissing him deeply.  When he pulls back, there’s a stunned silence in the room.

"Took you long enough," Bucky says again, just loud enough for Steve to hear.


End file.
